Year of Trump unleashed: Five critical issues that will define US politics in 2026
Trump’s first term in office was disturbing mostly for the things he said, but his second term has been alarming for things he has done. 2026 will be a crucial year
Pete Hegseth
US warns of more air strikes against Islamic State militants in Nigeria
Trump previously accused Nigerian government of failing to stop Christians being killed in the country
US launches strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for killing of US troops
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth says attack is ‘not the beginning of a war’ but a ‘declaration of vengeance’
US strike on alleged drug boat kills four as Trump claims Venezuela ‘took all of our oil’
Latest attack in Pacific brings death toll to 99 since US began campaign in September
What’s behind Trump’s power play in the Caribbean?
As drug-cartel operations, migration and China reshape the region, the US is pushing a revived Monroe Doctrine for the 21st century
Men killed in US military strike on Caribbean drug boat ‘clung to wreckage for more than an hour’
Video of US military strike on boat was shown to senators in Washington
Pete Hegseth’s texts ‘exposed sensitive details on Yemen strike’ says report
Discussion of upcoming airstrikes by US forces risked ‘potential compromise of sensitive DoD information’
Focus turns to ‘fog of war’ Pete Hegseth over US missile strike on Venezuelan boat
Defence secretary robustly defends attack on alleged gunboat, as Democrats lambast ‘unserious and unqualified individual’
Trump uses White House ceremony to pardon a turkey and call a governor ‘a big fat slob’
US president uses annual White House ceremony to pardon a turkey and call the Illinois governor ‘a big fat slob’
Venezuela braces for possible US strike amid military decay and internal dissent
Regime forces focus not on defence but on quashing dissent, analysts and opposition figures say
US military officials required to sign NDAs over Latin American operations
Concern over military build-up that Venezuela fear may lead to an invasion
US sends aircraft carrier to South America as airstrike on ‘drug boat’ kills six
Build-up of troops has raised speculation Trump could try to topple Venezuelan president
Pete Hegseth, knowing he’s in over his head, grows more paranoid and resentful
Former Fox News anchor does not like how the media covered him as he ascended utterly unqualified to become US defence secretary
Trump is deploying the military to wage war against an imagined ‘enemy within’
Worldview: The US president has been rapidly intensifying domestic military operations during his second term
Nobel Prize not designed for someone such as Donald Trump
He may have sparked dancing in the streets in the Middle East, he’s sparked danger in the streets in America
White House official inadvertently reveals plans to send elite army unit to Portland
Top deputy to Stephen Miller behind latest intelligence leak by Trump administration
Watch: Pete Hegseth declares war on ‘fat generals’, ‘woke garbage’ and ‘beardos’
US defence secretary says all fitness tests to be set to male benchmarks, and emphasises importance of grooming standards
Pentagon places restrictions on reporters in return for access
Trump administration wants journalists to only publish information authorised by defence department
How Donald Trump ended up with a cabinet of incompetents
Trump believed the big mistake of his first term was picking disloyal officials
Lack of Epstein ‘client list’ testing Maga Republicans’ faith in Trump to the limits
Memo released by AG this week concluded that Department of Justice had found no incriminating ‘client list’
Some of Iran’s enriched uranium survived attacks, Israeli official says
Official said any attempts by Iran to recover it would almost certainly be detected
Kremlin cautious on Trump pledge to send more US weapons to Ukraine
Delivery of some weapons was held up last week over concerns that US stockpiles were low
Trump and Hegseth admit doubts about level of damage to Iranian nuclear sites
CIA, however, says intelligence indicates Iran’s nuclear programme severely damaged
US-Iran: What comes next after Donald Trump’s risky foreign policy move?
Analysis: Midnight Hammer mission has raised a blizzard of new questions
This is the moment when we find out just how mad a king Donald is
The former opponent of forever wars in the Middle East is debating dropping bombs there without military provocation against the US
UN nuclear watchdog says Iran is in breach of negotiations
US pulls embassy staff from Middle East as threats emerge over potential Israel attack on Iran
Is it legal for Trump to use US troops to suppress protests?
California filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Trump’s move, calling it an unnecessary provocation and unlawful
LA protests: Trump tests limits of presidential authority by sending in the troops
Critics warn administration is increasingly ruling in defiance of US constitution and political norms
National Guard arrives in LA on Trump’s orders to quell protests against immigration raids
US president announced move despite objections from California governor Gavin Newsom
China accuses US secretary Pete Hegseth of ‘vilifying’ remarks at defence forum
Hegseth calls on Indo-Pacific allies to boost defence, warning of ‘potentially imminent’ threat
Pete Hegseth calls on Asia to boost military spending in face of ‘imminent’ threat from China
US defence secretary says China is ‘rehearsing for the real deal’
Trump announces multibillion-dollar ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system
Trump says Golden Dome will protect US from foreign strikes using ground and space-based weapons
Maureen Dowd: Trump’s macho crew is a vicious little sewing circle
It’s grimly entertaining to see this ‘masculine’ administration reflecting stereotypes about female behaviour that kept women out of power
Pete Hegseth reportedly had unsecured office internet line to connect to Signal
Latest report continues a pattern of leaks about defense secretary’s use of Signal messaging app to text sensitive military information
Trump’s Easter message showcases his easy way with denouncing ‘radical left lunatics’
Message on Truth Social network laden with White House preoccupations in looking to fend off criticism of deportation policy
White House supports defence secretary Pete Hegseth after reports he shared data on Yemen strikes
Democrats call on Pentagon chief to resign after reports Signal chat group included his wife, brother and lawyer
The WhatsAppification of work has ruined my work-life balance
A dividing line between work and social life has been breached
Trump says he will not ‘fire people’ over Signal security leak
Trump expresses confidence in Mike Waltz and Pete Hegseth after shock to US security establishment
Without Signal security leak, we would not have known depth of Trump’s contempt for Europe
A security breach of this scale usually requires the intervention of historians or a courageous whistleblower. Enter bungling Pete Hegseth, the least experienced Secretary of Defence in American history
US judge orders Signal chat on Houthi attack plans to be preserved
Trump administration officials must ensure none of the Signal messages are lost
Mike Waltz reportedly left Venmo account public in further security breach
Trump’s national security adviser faces new scrutiny after adding journalist to Signal group chat discussing Yemen attack plans
Pete Hegseth faces growing pressure to resign over texted plans for Yemen attack
White House argues latest texts released by the Atlantic prove nothing classified was shared in Signal group chat
Trump downplays unprecedented self-inflicted US security breach as ‘the only glitch in two months’
Washington political circles struggle to absorb staggering blunder by senior cabinet members
The Irish Times view on the US government’s Signal leak: an absurd and startling blunder
The actions may have been in breach of laws, which forbid government employees from using personal channels when conducting official business
Self-inflicted security breach by Trump officials opens up line of attack for Democrats
Claim by director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard made to look absurd during gruelling hearing
Trump backs Waltz over Yemen security breach
Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg says he was accidentally included in war plan discussion
Character of Trump’s administration exposed: What we learned from US security leak to Jeffrey Goldberg
Intelligence agencies will consider the security culture around US defence secretary Pete Hegseth
‘Pete Hegseth texted me the war plan’: How top US officials shared military strike details in group chat with journalist
‘Genuinely shocking’: National security lapse presents a perfect snapshot of the fears over defence secretary Hegseth’s suitability
US magazine editor says he was added to Trump advisers’ text group on bombing Houthis
Jeffrey Goldberg says top officials discussed plans to bomb Houthi militias in Yemen
What experts expect to happen when Micheál Martin meets Donald Trump this week
The Oval Office 2025 has become a fascinating and volatile court, so the Taoiseach might expect one or two curveballs coming his way
Trump, America’s Emperor of Chaos, is far more dangerous this time
Trump’s opponents cower before him, and many of the country’s institutions look unfit for opposition
Micheál Martin should go to Washington and remind Donald Trump what Ireland stands for
Merrion Street’s promised “charm offensive” will have as much traction as water on a duck’s back in the madness of the court of King Trump
‘We will not accept any agreement that is adopted without us’: Ukraine resolute as US and Russia seek to end war without its say
European leaders to hold an emergency summit on Ukraine on Monday in Paris
Who will stand up to Trump at High Noon?
Trump’s glowering mugshot even hangs outside the Oval, like an Old West 'Wanted: dead or alive' poster
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Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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